Aspire to broaden factual entertainment genre: Avinash Kaul on OMG! Yeh Mera India

The infotainment show, ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’, is set to return to television screens with its tenth season on History TV18. Hosted by Krushna Abhishek, the show delves into the country's unique talents, intriguing rituals, and delectable cuisine, the country has to offer. The tenth season is scheduled to premiere on February 12.

In an interaction with BestMediaInfo.com, ahead of the premiere, Avinash Kaul, CEO of Network18 Media, discussed the success of 'OMG! Yeh Mera India' is attributed to audience response, the show's positive values and why brands want to associate with the show.

Kaul attributed the longevity of the show to the enthusiastic response from its audience. He underscored that their spectacular response has led to the creation of ten seasons in just eight years.

Kaul credited the audience for the show getting to the tenth season. He explained that it is because of their spectacular response that they have managed to create ten seasons in eight years. “Typically, you don't produce more than one season in a year. But we've managed to do more because not only do people watch the stories on TV channels, but all the videos of 'OMG! Yeh Mera India' also go viral on social media,” he said.

However, Kaul believes that one reason why audiences choose to watch the show is because there's a shortage of original content in the infotainment sector of Indian entertainment. He explained that most shows are focused on crime or glamour.

Explaining why the audience watches OMG! Yeh Mera India, he said, “In a mature market, there is a lot of interest in knowing about people and cultures. The audience will gravitate towards shows that are more factual in nature.”

When questioned about the difficulty of securing sponsors for the show, the CEO explained that it hasn't been much of a challenge, particularly as the seasons have progressed. He attributed this to the show’s values.

“What we stand for is all positive, it is constructive. That is what makes it popular. When brands see content getting popular, they want to associate with it,” he added.

Kaul revealed that Maruti Suzuki, an automotive company, will be the top sponsor for this season of the show.  Additionally, he mentions that several education clients have expressed interest in being part of the show in the past.

“The brand benefits from being associated with the show not only in the current season but also from the cumulative impact of all nine previous seasons,” he said.

Even though the production cost of a documentary series is higher in comparison to that of TV soaps, the sponsorship has helped Network18’s infotainment section remain sustainable and even profitable.

While immediate developments may not be on the horizon, he mentioned that the network has aspirations to broaden the genre of factual entertainment. He pointed out that there's a shift in preferences internationally, moving from crime series to factual entertainment.

According to him, factual docuseries possess a timeless quality that keeps them engaging over time. "When the timing is appropriate, we'll seize the opportunity and increase our investments," he concluded.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com